Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

This Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets will play in the AFC Championship game.  This will be the second time these two teams will meet this year.  The Jets won the first game 22-17.

Fortunately, the results of this game are going to be very different.  Here are 10 reasons why the Steelers will beat the Jets in the AFC Championship.

#10)  History. Prior to the Jets’ win in December, they had NEVER defeated the Steelers in Pittsburgh.  It’s time to return to the natural order of things.

#9)  Heinz Field. The Terrible Towels are not the only thing that’s terrible in Pittsburgh.  The turf (and wind) at Heinz Fiend is equally terrible.  But it usually proves to be more terrible for the opponent than for the Steelers.

#8)  Steeler Nation. If the  conditions at Heinz Field don’t work against the Jets, I’m sure that 65,000 Terrible Towel waving Steelers fans certainly will.

#7)  Special Teams. The Steelers’ special teams allowed the Jets to score a touchdown on the very first play of the game last time the two teams met.  Those points proved to be crucial in a game in which the Steelers lost by 5 points.  It is highly unlikely that the Steelers special teams will have a similar mishap this game.

#6)  Young receivers. In their last game against the Jets, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders, and Antonio Brown each had outstanding games.  The three of them combined for 16 catches and almost 200 receiving yards.

#5)  Defense. The Steelers’ defense held the Jets to only 170 net passing yards in their last meeting.  They held LaDainian Tomlinson to only 49 yards rushing.  Had it not been for that kickoff that was returned for a touchdown, and a safety late in the game, everyone would have been bragging about how thoroughly the Steelers shut down the Jets’ offense.

#4)  Rashard Mendenhall. Mendy rushed for 100 yard the last time he faced the Jets.  He averaged 5.9 yards per carry during that game.  I’m sure the Jets remember that, and are trying to figure out how to keep it from happening again.

#3)  Ben Roethlisberger. Ben passed for 264 yards and a touchdown the last time he faced the Jets.  And that was without one of his favorite targets.

#2) Heath Miller. Heath Miller didn’t play the last time the Steelers faced the Jets.  Instead, Matt Spaeth started in his place.  Spaeth failed to catch 5 of the 8 passes that were thrown to him.  One of the passes that he dropped was a potential game winner.  Heath Miller will catch those passes.

#1)  Troy Polamalu. Like Heath Miller, Troy didn’t play the last time the Steelers faced the Jets.  He will be playing this time.  Need I say more?

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

The mystery has been solved.  The Steelers opponent in the AFC Championship is going to be the New York Jets.

The Jets beat the New England Patriots 28-21 in their AFC Divisional Playoff game, and earned the right to advance to the AFC Championship game against the Steelers.

Jets' QB Mark Sanchez

The Steelers and Jets met earlier this season, and the Jets won the game 22-17.  This game will give the Steelers an opportunity to avenge that earlier loss.

Many in Steeler Nation were hoping the Jets would beat the Patriots.  The Steelers have not had much success against the Patriots in the playoffs in years past.  The Jets seemed to present an easier path to the Super Bowl.

So allow me to take this opportunity to say “Thank you” to the Jets.  We’ll see you next week……. In Pittsburgh.

Here we go, Steelers.  Here we go!!!!!

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

The Baltimore Ravens will be watching the rest of the NFL playoffs from their living rooms.  Just like the rest of us.

The Steelers beat their AFC North rivals the Baltimore Ravens 31-24, and ended their season.  Ha!!!!  You have no idea how much I enjoy writing that.

The Steelers will now prepare to face the winner of tomorrow’s Jets/Patriots game, while the Ravens pack their things and head home.

Despite the Steelers win, the game was a back and forth battle that had some scary moments.

It seemed early on that mistakes were going to determine who won the game, and that proved to be true.

In the first half, the Steelers seemed to make all of the mistakes, and the Ravens capitalized on them.  First Ben Roethlisberger fumbled the ball, and the Ravens picked it up and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown.  Later, Rashard Mendenhall fumbled and the Ravens later turned that possession into 7 more points.  At half-time, the Ravens led 21-7 and things looked dim for the Steelers.

Then came the second half, and everything seemed to reverse.

In the second half, it was the Ravens that made the mistakes.  In the 3rd quarter, Ray Rice fumbled that ball and the Steelers made them pay for that mistake.  Suddenly the score was 21-14.  Then Joe Flacco threw an interception to Ryan Clark, and the Steelers turned that possession into 7 more points. The game  now was tied 21-21.

The two teams traded field goals, and the score was tied 24-24 with less than 4 minutes left in the 4th quarter.  That’s when the Ravens made what might have been their costliest mistake.  They allowed Antonio Brown to get behind their defense for a 58 yard completion right before the 2-minute warning.  Five plays later, Rashard Mendenhall was in the end zone and Steelers led 31-24.

The Ravens were unable to move the ball on their final possession, and the Steelers took over on downs.  Big Ben took a knee twice, and the game clock expired.  The Steelers move on, and the Ravens go home.

The one thing that wouldn’t be obvious to anyone who merely heard the final score was that the Steelers’ defense did an excellent job of shutting down the Ravens’ offense.  The Ravens were held to only 35 rushing yards.  Moreover, Joe Flacco was held to only 125 passing yards, and he was sacked 5 times.  That’s domination.

The Steelers’ next opponent will be determined by the results of today’s Jets/Patriots game.  I never thought I’d hear myself say this, but “GO JETS!!!!!!”

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

The Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday for the third time this season.  Only this time it’s a playoff game.  It’s win or go home.  So the Steelers MUST win.  And win they shall.

I’ve been listening to all of the national sports talk shows, and most of them seem to feel that the Ravens are going to emerge victorious on Saturday.  They keep saying things like “Joe Flacco is red hot right now”,  or “The Ravens’ defense is just too good”, or “The Steelers can’t defend Todd Heap and Anquan Boldin”.  Blah, blah, blah.

These are nice arguments.  They almost make sense.  Almost.

But the reality is that the Ravens are going to lose on Saturday.  Just like they always do when they face the Steelers.

I can already hear the Ravens’ fans making the following argument; “We’ve beaten Pittsburgh twice in the last two years”.  There’s only one problem with that argument.  It’s a half truth.  Yes, the Ravens did beat the Steelers twice in the last two years.  But there was a common denominator in both of those Ravens wins; Big Ben didn’t play.  That’s right, Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play in either of those games.  The Ravens beat Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch in those two games.  And they just barely won even against our 2nd and 3rd string quarterbacks.

When Big Ben plays, the Ravens lose.  It’s as simple as that.

Don’t get me wrong.  The Ravens are a good team.  But the Steelers are better.

Joe Flacco is a good quarterback.  But Ben Roethlisberger is better.

The Ravens’ defense is good.  But the Steelers’ defense is better.

Ed Reed is good.  But Troy Polamalu is better.

Todd Heap is good.  But Heath Miller is better.

The Ravens’ linebackers (Johnson, Lewis, McClain, and Suggs) are good.  But the Steelers linebackers (Woodley, Timmons, Farrior, and Harrison) are better.

With 837 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns, Anquan Boldin is good.  But with 1,257 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, Mike Wallace is better.

Ray Rice’s 1,220 rushing yards is good.  Rashard Mendenhall’s 1,273 rushing yards is better.

Are you starting to see the pattern?  The Steelers are just……….better.

In their head-to-head battles, the Steelers lead the series.  They’ve won more times in Pittsburgh.  And they’ve won more times in Baltimore.  And lest anyone forgets, this game is being played in Pittsburgh.  That’s a huge advantage for the Steelers.

Finally, the Steelers want to keep a very specific streak going.  They have never lost to the Ravens in the playoffs.  NEVER.  Not once.  The Steelers know that, and I’m sure the Ravens know it too.

So let the talking heads and “experts” at ESPN say what they will.  Go ahead and predict that the Ravens are going to win.  But when the dust settles, the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to emerge from this game with a win.  Because frankly, the Steelers are better than the Ravens.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 30-7, and will travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers next week.

I’ve already gone on record saying that I wanted the Chiefs to win.  However, that didn’t happen.  So the Steelers will get their 3rd shot a the Ravens this season.  The Steelers beat the Ravens 3 times in the 2008 season.  This season the two teams have split their two meetings.  However, the Ravens’ victory came while Ben Roethlisberger was still suspended.

I have little doubt that the Steelers will beat the Ravens.  However, I am slightly concerned that the Steelers will get banged up in the game and not be at 100% against the Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

Of course, there is a possibility that the New York Jets could upset the Patriots, or the Ravens could upset the Steelers.  But I really don’t think either of those things are going to happen.  With that in mind, I don’t think that playing the Ravens right before facing the Patriots is a good scenario.  But it is what it is.

The Steelers will take on the Ravens next Saturday (January 15, 2011) at 4:30 PM EST.  The game will be televised on CBS.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader